Soundbites

PRATTLE ABOUT SEATTLE

What are the odds that two up-and-coming Seattle bands would each
play a free show on successive nights in Tucson? This week, I'd give
you even money.

First up, on Tuesday, Dec. 7, the Starlings set up
shop in the lounge at Plush. The trio—Joy Mills, Tom
Parker and Aimee Zoe Tubbs—is currently working on a full-length
follow-up to its 2008 album, Marveling the While. An early 2010
release is expected, but in the meantime, the group has issued a
limited edition, self-released EP called Gravity.

Give that EP a listen, and it shouldn't come as a surprise that the
Starlings have shared a bill with the Avett Brothers. Both bands play
country-tinged pop songs on instruments often associated with bluegrass
(though the mandolin figures far more prominently in the Avetts'
music), and drums are utilized only about half the time. And, as with
the Avetts, the songwriting and vocal harmonies are the real stars
here.

The opening song, "Untitled," could have come straight from I and
Love and You were it not for Joy Mills' lovely voice harmonizing
with Tom Parker. (Parker's voice even recalls that of Scott Avett, and
not in a bad way.) It's also possibly the only song on the EP that
incorporates electric guitar. Mills' voice is more trad-country, and it
shines brightly on songs like "Apple Tree" and the spare "Aloysius,"
the latter of which isn't difficult to imagine finding on a Neko Case
album. The upbeat sing-along "Blue Dog" is the lone political song
here, and one of the highlights, with Parker talk-singing his way
through lines such as: "Turns out the American dream / has always been
a Ponzi scheme / Give me your money if you want to have more / There's
a couple rich men to a million poor."

The following night, fellow Seattle-ites Grand Hallway will
attempt to cram into the Red Room at Grill. It won't be easy:
The self-described orchestral pop group is eight members strong. The
second Seattle band to perform in Tucson in three weeks whose two-word
name begins with "Grand" (Grand Archives recently played at Plush),
Grand Hallway is led by singer-songwriter Tomo Nakayama, whose voice is
pitched high enough to occupy that space somewhere between the
obviously male and the obviously female. This summer, the group
self-released its second full-length, Promenade, which followed
another album and an EP. The trio of songs from Promenade
streaming on the band's MySpace page make the group's live show sound
awfully promising.

"Raindrops" is the one that will likely draw you in right off the
bat. It starts off with some gently finger-picked guitar and a couple
of piano chords backing Nakayama's gentle voice—recalling what
would happen if Simon and Garfunkel teamed up with Pinback before
picking up enough steam that it reminds one of those sadly uplifting
songs that Arcade Fire does so well. It is, in a word, gorgeous.
"Blessed Be Honey Bee" is almost as good, a sweet, sweeping love song
highlighted by strings, pedal steel guitar and a Beatles-esque chord
change that makes good on the "orchestral pop" tag.

Catch Grand Hallway in the cozy Red Room at Grill, 100 E. Congress
St., on Wednesday, Dec. 8, while you can. It's a safe bet
they'll be playing in a larger room next time around. Tucson's
dangerbunny starts the night off at about 10 p.m. Admission, as
always, is free. Call 623-7621 for further details.

RAGIN' CAGE

Regular readers probably know I'm not the biggest fan of KFMA FM
92.1, but I'm also willing to give credit where credit is due: The
station was one of the first in the country to play Cage the
Elephant, the Bowling Green, Ky.-based band whose popularity has
skyrocketed as 2009 has progressed. If KFMA is one of your presets, you
probably know the group's "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked," which merges
acoustic blues slide guitar with rap vocal phrasing à la Beck's
"Loser." If you like that song but haven't heard the rest of the album,
chances are you'll dig it, as well as the band's live performance this
week.

Even as the group culls elements from a variety of
genres—blues, rock, rap, funk, swamp rock, punk—on its
self-titled debut album (RCA/Jive, 2009), it retains a sound of its
own. "Tiny Little Robots," for example, recalls a Jack White song, but
it doesn't exactly sound like the Raconteurs or White Stripes. "In One
Ear" merges stomping blues riffs with hip-hop-influenced vocals, but it
doesn't sound like Led Zeppelin or the Red Hot Chili Peppers. "Lotus"
reminds of Arctic Monkeys ... well, OK, an awful lot, but you get the
idea. So they're not the most original band to emerge this year, but
you could do a lot worse than a fun, young, energetic band that clearly
loves to rock.

Cage the Elephant performs an early all-ages show at Club
Congress, 311 E. Congress St., at 8 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 9.
Admission is $10, and the number to call with questions is
622-8848.

SINGULAR SENSATIONS

Parasol Project, the local arts and performance organization
whose hands seem to be all over recent events around town, will host a
two-night salute to the time-honored tradition of the one-man band.

Tonight, Thursday, Dec. 3, the group will screen One
Man in the Band, a 2008 documentary on the subject that had its
West Coast premiere at the Tucson Film and Music Festival in October.
The film begins at 7 p.m., and admission is free—as is the
popcorn. All ages are welcome.

The following evening, Friday, Dec. 4, the fun continues with
the self-explanatory A One-Man Band Fest, which will feature
performances from Al Foul, Mosquito Bandito, Becky Lee
and Drunkfoot, Al Perry, Jimmy Carr, The
Tambourines, Bee Bones, Special Head and
Parasolo. The evening's proceedings begin at 6 p.m. and run
until around midnight. Admission is $7 and is open only to those 21 and
older. Both events will be held at Parasol Project, 299 S. Park Ave.
More information is available at parasolproject.com.

SHORT TAKES

Lisa Otey's Owl's Nest Productions, which is celebrating its
15th year, closes out 2009 with the Fifth Annual Boogie Woogie
Blowout, in which four pianists perform tunes on two pianos. This
year's participants are Sue Palmer, Wendy DeWitt,
Doña Oxford and Otey. Each will perform a solo set and a
duet set, as well as a grand finale in which all four perform on a
single piano.

The show hits Green Valley's Community Performing Arts Center
on Friday, Dec. 4, Phoenix's Rhythm Room on Saturday, Dec. 5,
and Pima Community College West Center for the Arts for a
matinee show on Sunday, Dec. 6. For further details, head to
lisaotey.com.

As part of its Tribute to Albert Maysles, the legendary
documentary filmmaker, the Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd.,
will screen Gimme Shelter, the chilling documentary
chronicling the Rolling Stones' concert debacle at Altamont, at noon on
Sunday, Dec. 6. Two bonuses: The screening just happens to fall
on the 40th anniversary of the concert, and Maysles himself will be
present for a meet-and-greet an hour before the film begins. For more
info, head to loftcinema.com, or call
795-0844.